Film File - Mirror Mirror

At some stage or another, all of us have probably heard the story of Snow White as bedtime reading. Forget those pleasant memories, though. For this zany take on the tale, the basic premise has changed somewhat - and very much for the better. In a film directed by Tarsem Singh, things get off to a bad start for Snow White (Lily Collins) when her wicked stepmother queen (Julia Roberts) makes a determined grab for power in the kingdom after the beloved king (Sean Bean) disappears. With the king out of the way, his ruthless wife does what all power-crazed maniacs do, by locking up her 18-year old competition. Things go according to plan until a handsome prince catches a glimpse of Snow White one day and falls in love…….but I'm getting ahead of myself here. 'Snow White', adapted from the Grimm Brothers fairytale, was the first animated feature the Walt Disney Studios ever produced back in 1937 and remains one of the most treasured animated pictures of all time. Director Singh, the man responsible for 'Immortals and The Cell', effects a complete 180-degree turn with the original material to produce something twisted, dark, biting and brimming with sarcasm - in other words, a perfect fairytale for the world we live in. After the evil queen grabs power when the king goes missing in the haunted woods, the locals are told that Snow White, far from being beautiful, is actually a deformed monster needing constant guarding under lock and key. Now that Snow White has reached 18, however, she finds a kingdom completely drained of money and resources by its unscrupulous female leader over the years. Help might be at hand in the form of Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer), a wealthy regal with the resources to once again bring the palace back to its shining best. Despite the fact that Snow White and the Prince have a fleeting moment where their chemistry definitely fizzes, the wicked queen orders her more beautiful rival eliminated in order to leave only one 'fairest of them all' for the upcoming marriage. Taking off to the haunted woods before she's snuffed out by the queen's henchmen - led by the bumbling Brighton (Nathan Lane) - Snow White is rescued by a band of dwarfs quite unlike the fairytale who make their living as robbers of unsuspecting folk who tread the dark paths of the forest. As an added extra, the pint-sized villains use springs to reach the pockets of their larger victims. Befriending Snow White and her prince to be, hatching a plan to overthrow the evil queen and bringing prosperity once again to the kingdom are all in a criminal day's work to these small Sopranos out to make a killing. 'Mirror Mirror' is an entertaining romp where much of the original fairytale is turned on its head. A dark re-imagining of what might be a modern Snow White - who still cooks and cleans, by the way, but also adds swordplay to her repetoire as any contemporary young woman would - it gives a breezy breath of fresh air to an ancient tale. Roberts is totally on form in her version of a female Bernie Madoff, and the supporting cast of Lane, Collins and Bean are all well-positioned in this peach of a spring flower.